Red Stewart reviews the eighth episode of Black Lightning season 3…
There’s a lot of debate in pop media criticism circles regarding which is worse: a good premise that’s done badly or a bad premise that’s done badly. Advocates for the former argue that it’s worse to waste potential than it is to waste something that never had realistic aspirations. Advocates for the latter, however, claim that just because something has a weak backdrop, it doesn’t justify it being inherently lazy.
I, on the other hand, would like to propose a third choice: a good premise that starts off good but ends badly. This takes into account the pros and cons of the two above while adding something new to the mix- it shows that there was potential and room for an idea to grow, but that inherent laziness on the part of the creators to see it through to the end killed said growth. It’s part of the reason why I argue that Transformers 3 was worse than 2.
I obviously wouldn’t put “The Battle of Franklin Terrace” in the same category as those atrocious Bayformer flicks, but it is saying something that I was reminded of them. That is because this was a rare episode of Black Lightning that got me hooked from the get-go, and kept reeling me in until some unfortunate choices towards the middle killed the pacing.
I can attribute that initial hook to the return of the charismatic Tobias. He’s back to being healthy, and is using his old manipulative techniques to get out of the ASA’s off-grid lab, primarily on Lynn. I stated last time that I felt this control factor over Dr. Stewart was done a little too easily, even if we take into account her weakened mindset courtesy of the Greenlight addiction, and that problem does persist here as well. However, there were two things here that helped ease the believability of it all- first was, of course, Krondon’s performance, adding more great scenes to his actor’s reel.
The second was the dialogue, which disclosed blatant faults in Lynn’s reasoning (and really, the writing as a whole). Tobias points out how Lynn is just turning the pod-kids into weapons for the ASA to use, not realizing that her aspirations for them to have a choice are null and void when it comes to the ASA’s intentions. Thus, he concludes that the only way to stop their plans from fermenting is to free him, as he is the only one with the ability to destroy the organization. It was nice to see some honesty from the writing team about the story problems these past two seasons have had, and that willingness leads to one of the most interesting conversations their scripts have produced.
As the title suggests, though, most of the episode isn’t focused on this, instead centering around Jefferson struggling with whether to comply with the ASA’s increasingly strict rules, or to stand up for what he believes in. This culminates in a former teacher of his getting evicted by the ASA at an apartment complex called Franklin Terrace. Commander Williams, the tough military man from the pilot, has taken over as the head of the ASA following Major Grey and Odell’s injuries from prior episodes. This is a character that I still haven’t been able to get behind, and his appearance here unfortunately didn’t change that factor. He’s presented as a macho strategist and fighter, with the ability to copy any power he can see, yet he remains in the background for the most part and hates metas. Why? If he’s this powerful an asset, shouldn’t he be constantly leading forces in Freeland on the hunt for the Markovians? And why does he speak so low of metas if he is one? If this is the writing team’s attempt at creating an Uncle Tom metaphor, then it falters because Uncle Toms don’t see their fellow brothers and sisters as below them, but rather misguided in their approach.
Despite Christopher B. Duncan’s performance, Williams fails to be a compelling antagonist here the way Major Grey managed to at least be before. Jefferson, Henderson, and eventually Thunder, despite facing a significant amount of adversaries, successfully repel everyone, including Khalil, whose identity Anissa finally uncovers during a brawl with him. Some of the action beats in this section are decently enjoyable, such as the fight between Khalil and Anissa (where the writers finally realize that no one should pose any serious threat to the latter), but it’s overall too disjointed and poorly-scored to be as engaging as it could have been.
Which is a shame because the set-up was perfect. The conversation Jefferson has with the teacher could have been contrived or silly or cliche, but the writers somehow nailed the subtle dynamic- that little spark that finally convinces the former to take a stand against the ASA once and for all. I was genuinely surprised by how brilliant the execution was, and it’s sad that the effect couldn’t live up to the cause.
Hurting this more is the decision to throw in more B-plots than the 43 minute runtime can handle. Had we just dealt with Lynn/Tobias and Jefferson/Williams, this episode could’ve been a strong one, but add to the mix Jennifer bonding further with Brandon, Gambi discovering an escaped podkid named Baron (TP) in an abandoned radio tower, and Lynn escaping the ASA compound, and you have significant pacing issues arise. The tension at Franklin Terrace is killed because we’re constantly cutting away from it, meaning there isn’t a sense of continuity- just stitched together scenes that imply a series of small skirmishes rather than a prolonged siege.
That’s not to say these B-plots aren’t interesting of their accord, it’s just that they’d have been better off in their own dedicated episodes. Alas, I had a strong feeling this was going to happen, and the writers didn’t disappoint me here. Good plotting hasn’t been their strong suit in a long time.
Overall, “The Battle of Franklin Terrace” had its moments, but the thrills and drama didn’t blend the way they were clearly intended to.
Rating – 6/10
Red Stewart
